William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare • Baptized as William Shakespeare on April 26, 1564 (leading some people to believe his birthday was April 23rd). • Place: Stratford-upon-Avon, England (Stratford is the town, Avon is the river that runs through the town) – 103 miles away from London • The third child of John Shakespeare (a leather merchant) and Mary Arden (a land heiress) • The third of six children (two older sisters, three younger brothers) • Died on April 23, 1616

William Shakespeare • Education? • Scholars do not know for sure, but it is believed he attended King’s New School in Stratford.(Being the son of a mayor, William would have qualified for free tuition.)

William Shakespeare • Married Anne Hathaway on November 28, 1582 in Worcester, Canterbury Province, England • William = 18, Anne = 26 • Three children: Susanna and the twins Hamnet and Judith (Hamnet died for unknown causes at age 11) • During his children’s younger years, not much is known about what he did

William Shakespeare • Began his theatre career in London in the late 1580s • Evidence shows he earned a living as an actor and a playwright by 1592 • Managed a play acting company called The Lord Chamberlain’s Men, which changed its name to King’s Men in 1603 for King James I • Published 15 of 37 plays by 1597

William Shakespeare • 1599 – Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre was built • Earned 60 pounds a year (a lot back then) for running the Globe • His plays were written in a poetic scheme called iambic pentameter (which did not usually rhyme). The only exception was if a character was feeling strongly about something or if a character was crazy.

William Shakespeare • Plays were divided into types: • Comedies (Much Ado About Nothing, Twelfth Night, Midsummer Night’s Dream…) • Tragedies (Hamlet, King Lear, Macbeth, Othello…) • Histories (Richard II, Henry V, Henry VI – mostly about kings)

Hamlet • Published between 1599-1602 • Takes place in 11th Century Denmark • Plot: A prince (Hamlet) loses his father, finds out his uncle killed him. Then his uncle married his mother to get the throne. Hamlet’s father’s ghost tells Hamlet to get revenge, so Hamlet acts crazy to get his uncle to confess his sin. Meanwhile, another country wants war with Denmark. Almost everyone dies.

Romeo and Juliet • Based on an Italian tale • Published in the early 1590s as one of his most famous plays in his lifetime (along with Hamlet) • Setting: 1591, Verona, Italy • Romeo and Juliet are from two families who hate one another. However, the two meet by chance at a party, fall in love, get married, have people killed over them, and kill themselves in the course of two or three days. • Considered a “tragic comedy” because the play is supposed to make fun of rushing into love as a kid

Fun Facts about Shakespeare • Shakespeare also wrote 154 sonnets (a particular kind of poem) • Men played all roles in Elizabethan theatre (the theatre of Shakespeare’s day)… including women’s roles, which were played by younger men • Shakespeare is the second most quoted author in the English language besides writers of the Bible • It is believed Shakespeare invented over 1,700 words we still use in everyday life, such as eyeball, gloomy, and suspicious

William Shakespeare